Reincarnated Dragon Goes to the Academy!

Chapter 100 : Resurrection Cult (1)

The Emperor's office.

"So. You've come to ask me something?"

"Yes."

Aman had asked the people in the imperial palace, as well as the Mage Tower, about how Alberto's funeral had gone, but he had not received a clear answer.

The only one left was the emperor, Grad.

As the emperor reached out his hand and offered him a seat, Aman shook his head slightly and refused, then opened his mouth.

"You must be busy, so I'll just state my business and go."

Although it was an arrogant act for the head of the academy to show to the emperor of the empire, Grad just nodded his head slightly.

"Do as you please."

"Five years ago. Alberto. I mean, how did the Mage Tower Master's funeral go?"

"...Hoho, you suddenly came to ask about that?"

Grad let out a hollow laugh at Aman's absurd question.

"Yes."

Grad's brow twitched slightly at Aman's dry answer.

Even if he was the emperor of a country, Aman's attitude was too much.

But Grad soon regained his composure and even smiled slightly.

"Hmm... as the head of the school knows, I wasn't in my right mind then, was I? I also couldn't pay much attention to that matter, but I'm sure it was handled well. But why are you suddenly asking about that?"

"...Is that so? I was just suddenly curious. It's nothing."

The emperor, who had nodded his head slightly, gestured with his chin toward the door.

As if to say that he had no reason to treat him well either.

Aman almost burst out laughing at Grad's somewhat childish behavior.

"Then... I'll be going."

Even at Aman's farewell, the emperor just nodded his head slightly and did not even turn his gaze from the pile of documents he was looking at.

Aman, who had left the emperor's office, felt as if he had fallen into a deeper labyrinth while trying to solve a mystery.

'...No one knows?'

It didn't make sense. It wasn't as if a commoner had died, but a person who had served as the Mage Tower Master and the head of the academy had been brutally murdered.

No matter how much he had no family, how many mages were there in the Mage Tower, and no one knew how Alberto's funeral had gone?

No matter how much the imperial palace had been attacked at that time, the emperor had not died. And Alberto was the Mage Tower Master that the empire loved.

If the imperial palace had not been attacked when Alberto had died, he was an influential figure who would have made the people of the empire rise up, but no one had even held a funeral for him.

And it seemed that there was not even anyone who was curious about his funeral.

The reaction when he had asked people about Alberto's funeral... was like that of a pretty cat that had been wandering around the shopping district and had been hit by a carriage and had died.

'Ah~ Nabi? She was a pretty cat. I heard she was hit by a carriage and died someday... what a shame.' That was the level.

No, it was more than that.

'No matter how much I think about it... it's strange.'

It was as if someone had intentionally made Alberto's existence faint.

'It's strange.'

Aman's brow furrowed and unfurrowed repeatedly as he walked down the corridor.

***

The people gathered in the square were exchanging a word each as they looked at the priests of the Resurrection Cult who had come to Citata.

"Are those the priests of the Resurrection Cult?"

"That's right, that's right. Looking at the emblem, it seems so."

The emblem of the Resurrection Cult embroidered on the priests' chests.

It was an emblem with the figure of a man with his arms wide open in front of a large circle that resembled the sun.

The one who had returned from the dead.

The leader who would grant salvation and wash away sins if you believed in him.

The empire was in an uproar at the miraculous deeds he had actually performed.

And unlike other temples, the blessings of the priests, which were said to be given only to those who showed sincere faith, even if they did not pay a tithe, were also very popular.

"Did you hear that? The holy water they give out when you go to the Resurrection Cult."

"Ah, I know. I heard it's so effective."

"Right, and they said they don't give it to you if you're not a believer."

The holy water that the Resurrection Cult gave out when the time came was famous for its amazing effectiveness.

It was said that even people with sore knees or sore wrists would be healed as if they had been washed if they applied a little of that holy water.

"Are they coming to Citata this time?"

"The land? The Resurrection Cult is not a temple, is it?"

The people also nodded their heads at his question.

If it were a temple that served a god, any country would gladly give up its land, but that did not apply to the Resurrection Cult.

Since it was a religion created by an individual, even if they wanted to come in, it would be in vain if there was no land.

"Hmm... that's right. Will the lord give up the land?"

Most of the land in Citata was owned by the lord.

And since it was a territory that had been permanently granted by the empire, they would not be able to lease the land and would be driven out without the lord's permission.

"I hope they come. Right? I want to get some of that holy water too."

"Me too, me too. This wrist of mine just won't heal."

The woman, who was rubbing her aching wrist, could not take her eyes off the procession of priests.

One of the methods of proselytizing of the Resurrection Cult was holy water.

The holy water, which only believers could receive, made even people who did not go to the temple come to the Resurrection Cult.

And since they even went out of their way to help the poor and the sick, their public image was also very good.

"But if you go to a place that's not a temple, won't you be punished later?"

"D-do you think so?"

"Don't you remember the old days? What was it... what was that religion? The people who offered sacrifices there."

"That's true..."

Everyone who had first encountered the Resurrection Cult had this kind of reaction.

From those who were worried that they might be punished, to those who said that such places only told lies anyway, so they should just serve the god they had been serving.

But the Resurrection Cult knew.

That all these worries were futile.

"Hello."

The priest of the Resurrection Cult who stood before the people.

Although he greeted them with a bright smile, the people just rolled their eyes and no one readily accepted the greeting.

"We are from the Resurrection Cult. Please take this."

"What is this?"

"This is a candy with the holy water from our Resurrection Cult."

What was rustling in the priest's hand was none other than candy.

But as soon as they heard the name 'holy water', the people began to take the candy from his hand without exception.

"You can also eat it when you have a headache or an upset stomach."

"Ooh..."

The people who had received the candy in their hands finally began to listen to the priest's words.

"But it's not as effective as the holy water. If our Resurrection Cult comes to Citata, please come and listen to some good words."

The people who were murmuring as the priest, who had smiled brightly at the end of those words, turned his back and left.

"You said you had a headache earlier, right? Try one."

"Should I?"

As the woman, who had unwrapped a candy and had put it in her mouth, began to chew on it, the other people also watched her reaction.

They were so curious about whether the holy water, which was only rumored, was real.

"Huh? I don't think it hurts anymore."

"R-really?"

"Oh my, I should try one too. My wrist is still aching..."

And so the Resurrection Cult was already beginning to seep into the people little by little.

***

Lucas and his group were enjoying tea time, sitting in the garden.

"Haa... it's so nice. Right?"

Pola, who was eating a cookie while receiving the warm sunlight, took a deep breath.

"That's right. It's really nice."

Nella also followed Pola and stretched, looking at the garden.

The group, who had arrived at the county estate, had intended to return to the academy as soon as their travel fatigue was relieved, but they couldn't because of Count Cibie's opposition.

Count Cibie was adamant that he could not send the children to the dangerous academy.

And since he had tied Skir, who was someone else's child, to the county estate, saying that he couldn't go, the other people also had no choice but to stay at the county estate.

"It's a good thing you like it. My father also said to rest well and then come. But can we graduate?"

"We can."

"That's right. We're all in the advanced class! If not, we can just graduate from the advanced class."

Of course, they could graduate. And since Aman was in the position of head of the school, if necessary, he could just ask for a diploma from the advanced class.

Lucas was also sick and tired of the academy.

He had endured it because of the children, but it wasn't as if he enjoyed the academy life.

"Huh? Who are those people?"

Lucas, who was relaxing his body and receiving the sunlight at Pola's words, turned his head.

"...A priest?"

When he turned his head, he saw people in priest's robes walking into the entrance of the county estate.

Behind the person wearing a red sash, two people wearing blue sashes were following.

"But which temple is that?"

"Hmm... I don't remember seeing an emblem like that."

"..."

The emblems that represented the temples were also included in the basic education taught at the academy.

That's why the children also knew most of the temple emblems.

But the emblem embroidered on the chests of the priests who were now entering was something they had never seen before.

"Is that the Resurrection Cult?"

The children all let out a sigh of 'ah' at the words that came out of Lucas's mouth.

"That's right... so that's why we didn't know?"

"That's right. I think I've seen that before."

"Is that the Resurrection Cult. Hmph, isn't it a strange religion that serves a human, not a god? Why did such people come to the county estate?"

Skir's reaction was as expected.

As a child of a noble family that valued history and tradition, everything that was not a temple was strange to Skir.

In fact, his words were also right.

"They must be trying to come to Citata."

Everyone was surprised at Lucas's indifferent answer and opened their mouths wide.

"...Are you okay with that? With such strange things coming into the territory."

"What's the big deal? It doesn't seem like they're doing anything bad."

Lucas also had a sense of aversion when he had first heard about the Resurrection Cult.

But as far as he had seen, such religions did not last long.

He didn't know what kind of great black mage there was this time to have revived so quickly.

"Isn't the existence of such a thing bad in itself?"

"...Why?"

This time it was Pola. Pola also didn't think it was very bad when she had heard about the Resurrection Cult.

They had built an orphanage, had helped the difficult and the poor, and had even built a nursing home for the elderly.

And it seemed much better than the other high and mighty temples that didn't even bother with you if you didn't pay a tithe, no matter how poor you were.

"T-that's..."

"See. You can't answer either, can you? I find the other temples stranger."

"How can you say such a thing...!"

"Isn't it true? They only sing the song of tithe~ tithe~ every time you go! Why do people who are the servants of God only ask for other people's money like that?"

"..."

"You have nothing to say either, right? Your family also paid a lot of tithe, didn't they?"

"..."

"If you don't pay that tithe, they won't even treat a cold at the temple."

A shadow fell over Pola's face for a moment, as if she had remembered something.

"Still..."

"What do you mean, still? But the people of the Resurrection Cult there treat even the poor and all that."

Pola, who had cut off Skir's words, picked up the teacup in front of her.

"Really?"

Nella also became curious at her words.

"Yes. Should we go there sometime?"

"N-no! We might be punished by heaven if we go to a place like that."

"That's ridiculous. What do you mean, punished by heaven."

Pola, who was snorting at Skir's words.

As they were bickering like that for a long time, the priests approached them.

"Hello. We are priests from the Resurrection Cult."

The priests who were greeting them with a bright smile.

"So?"

Lucas did not welcome such priests.

'How dare they. Where do they think this is, coming here to greet us?'

There was no reason to be polite to the fake priests of a religious group that had suddenly appeared, not even the priests of a temple.

"Haha... I wanted to greet you before I met the Count. Here..."

The priest wearing a red sash held out a rustling bundle from his bosom.

"It's candy."

"...?"

"Ah, this is a candy with the holy water from our Resurrection Cult. It's no different from a panacea."

Something snapped in Lucas's mind.

'How dare they imitate a god...'

When he had talked with his friends a little while ago, he had certainly had no feelings.

But at the sight of the priests who had come up to him and were talking to him, his anger flared up.

"Where do you think you are, selling medicine. Get lost if you're going to talk such nonsense."

The children, who were flustered at Lucas's sudden outburst, were restless.

"L-rookie...!"

The Resurrection Cult. How dare those arrogant humans imitate a god.

"...Pardon?"

"I said get lost if you're going to talk nonsense."

"...T-that's."

As the flustered priests were muttering, Lucas finally shot up from his seat.

"You'd be fine even if you died here. Your great leader would resurrect you anyway."

Lucas's magic began to boil around him.

(End of Chapter)